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June 15, 2020
Question

At year end do you close dididend account to retained earnings? Will account dividend account balance be zero?

  • June 15, 2020
  • 1 reply
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1 reply

June 15, 2020

Hello Terra Seed,

 

Closing out your books at year end is a great way to ensure that all of the past year's work has been accounted for and you can move forward with the next fiscal year. It's important to me that you're able to complete these tasks and get going with the next stage of your books.

 

I know approaching these kinds of tasks can be daunting, which is why it's a great idea to have an accountant on your side. With an accountant, you'll have someone who knows the ins and outs of these processes, such as whether an account should be zeroed out or if you close the dividend account to retained earnings.

 

In the QuickBooks Online Community, we have a guide that can help you get started with the features in the program, but when it comes to the finer details of the accounting behind the books, an accountant is your best asset. Here's the guide I mentioned so you can take a look: Year-end guide and checklist

 

QuickBooks Online can also makes it easy to connect with an accountant using the My Accountant tab. If you already have someone you're working with, you can invite them as a user from that tab so they can work directly in your books. The tab also has a Find a pro to help button that links you to a directory of QuickBooks-certified accountants near you, so don't be afraid to check that out!

 

Have a great week. :)

January 11, 2022

Can you advise how to close dividends paid (equity) into Retained Earnings on the first day of the following fiscal year?  Will QBO (Canada) permit this?

January 12, 2022

Hi LilR.

 

In order to close your dividends paid into retained earnings I recommend reaching out to your accountant as they are trained on how to do this. If you don't have an accountant no worries, we can help. You can go to the My Accountant tab on the left hand menu and select Find a pro to help to find one in your area.

 

If you have any questions let us know and we'd be happy to help.